1. Credibility Inspired by an Active Social Presence – Whether it’s your personal account or your professional profile, what you post and how frequently you update your profile has an effect on how you are perceived.  Strive to stay active and relevant with what you upload without flooding the newsfeed with inappropriate content. Frequent, relevant posts will reflect a positive and reliable image to your peers, and help to enhance your credibility.

2. Ease of Contact – Your contacts want to know they have multiple ways to connect with you. The more well-connected you are both in the personal and professional worlds, the easier you will be to contact. Ease of contact is an important point to demonstrate both in your job search process and within the workplace as it shows you are reliable and communicative.

3. Networking Opportunities – Professional connections aren’t just limited to LinkedIn. They can be made just about anywhere. Pay attention to the events your friends and colleagues attend and post about on their profiles. If you see something coming up that you think you might be interested in, reach out for more information. Any event you attend is a chance to meet new people to discuss new ideas and opportunities.

4. Exposure to News and Trends – In addition to upcoming events, keep an eye out for popular news items. Social media is a great way to stay informed of current events. Just be sure to keep your opinions about sensitive topics toned down on your public profiles, and try to resist buying in to the drama of controversial issues. Remember: it can be hard to know exactly who might be tuned in to your profile updates, so it is always better to be safe than sorry.

5. Image Building – Your social media profiles are some of the strongest tools you have in making yourself presentable to your colleagues and peers. You have total control over how you appear, from what picture you use as your profile icon to what kind of content you provide to your audience.